Mounting devices for electronic displays including flat panel display devices are generally known in the art. In some instances, such mounts are used in a restricted space and keep a surface free of obstruction while allowing a person to view the display positioned above the surface. Hughes discloses such an apparatus for mounting a television under a cabinet in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,580,754, 4,666,113, 6,341,754, and 5,333,827 are also directed towards mounts for mounting various appliances on the underside of a cabinet.
The advent of flat-panel displays provides an opportunity to save additional work-surface space in areas where space is restricted, such as a kitchen or office space. Because of the thin profile of flat-panel displays, they are particularly suitable for folding up underneath a cabinet or the like. Additionally, because flat-panel displays have a thinner profile, a user can fit a much larger screen in a restricted space than would be otherwise achievable by a traditional cathode ray tube television.
It is typically desirable to position the flat panel display in at least a viewing position wherein the screen of the display is in a substantially vertical position for viewing, and a stowed position wherein the flat panel is display is folded up under the cabinet or other structure. Since flat panel displays may have a relatively small viewing angle, it is also sometimes desirable to position the display in an intermediate position to obtain the optimum viewing angle.
Previous mounts for flat panel displays have not been entirely satisfactory. Some of these previous mounting devices including catches, latches or detent mechanisms for positioning the display are awkward, difficult to operate and may not provide the capability of positioning the display at desired viewing angles. Other previous mounting devices have included friction devices for positioning the display. These friction devices may enable positioning the display at any desired angle, but are sometimes difficult to position due to the relatively large amount of frictional force needed to hold the display in the stowed position. Such devices may stick and impart a jerky motion when the display is being positioned toward the stowed position, so that the weight of the display is not being supported by the friction device.
What is needed in the industry is a relatively simple to operate, adjustable, folding mount for attaching a flat panel display to a horizontal element of a fixed structure, that provides easy and smooth adjustability of the display position.